Development of cellulose nanocrystals-based cementitious materials to achieve high strength

The research focuses on the development of cellulose nanocrystals-based cementitious materials to achieve high strength. Currently it investigates the structure-function relationship through an integrated approach that combines processing, structural and chemical characterization and state-of-the-art microscopy to unravel the physical mechanisms that underpin the nanomechanics of cellulose nanocrystals/nanofibrils, and relate this to the macroscopic properties of CNC/NFC-reinforced cementitious materials through extensive experimental tests at different length scales. This project is sponsored by NSF.

The configuration of the ball-on-three-ball flexural test for fiber-reinforced cement composites